


Ornithophobia

by pir8grl



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 18:22:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5015278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pir8grl/pseuds/pir8grl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose has an encounter with a rather creepy survivor of the Time War.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ornithophobia

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Time Petals 100 prompt “Tell me.”

“Tell me,” the thing insisted. 

It was covered in ragged black feathers, like a bird. It had a wicked curved beak and talons, like a bird. It drooled, which Rose didn’t think birds were meant to do, and she really hoped it wasn’t rabid or something. It also stank. 

“I can’t,” she insisted. 

“You lie,” the creature replied, digging the tip of a talon into her cheek. “Time Lords have the gift of prophecy. You will tell me what will become of my people.” 

“’M not a Time Lord!” She whimpered as the talon dug in deeper, and she felt a trickle of blood run down her face. “Look, I‘m sorry about your people, I am, but I’ve got this friend; maybe he can help you.” 

“If you are not of our kind, and you are not a Time Lord, to answer my questions, then you are food.” 

“You’ll want to stop that,” a Northern-accented voice said in a deceptively casual tone. When the creature didn’t immediately comply, that tone evaporated with startling rapidity. **_“Now.”_**

“Who are you?” 

“I’m a Time Lord. I’m the last of the Time Lords. And hurting my friend won’t change the fact that your people burned, right along with mine, in the Time War. Now let her go.” 

Defeated, the creature released Rose, who darted to the Doctor’s side. 

“I can take you to a sanctuary world, where you can hunt safely. You keep doing this here and the authorities are going to catch you and put you in a zoo.” 

“Or kill me, if I force them to.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Perhaps that would be for the best.” And then it vanished upwards, clawing its way into the night sky. 

Rose might have thought it was all a dream, if not for the few mangy black feathers left drifting to the ground, and the sting in her cheek. 

The Doctor shook himself out if his reverie. He scowled as he saw the blood on Rose’s face, but his touch was infinitely gentle as he lifted her chin to get a better look. 

“Mind your eyes,” he said gruffly as he scanned the small wound with the sonic. “It’s clean,” he pronounced a few seconds later. “I’ll close it up with the dermal regenerator, an’ you won’t even have a scar. You all right?” 

Rose nodded, uncharacteristically quiet, and he slid an arm around her shoulders. 

“That was enough to put me off birds for life, though.” 

“Nah. I know a wonderful planet. From the distance, it looks like the trees are all different colors, but really it’s because they’re full of these little songbirds -”

“Like canaries?” Rose interrupted. 

“Sort of, yeah. Only they come in every color you can imagine. Not just yellow and blue.” 

“Pink ones?”

He gave an exaggerated shudder. “Yes, Rose, even pink ones.” 

“All right then,” she replied, sounding much more like herself, “show me some pink canaries.”


End file.
